U.S. Navy: Please save the USS Ranger from the scrap heap!

The USS Ranger maintains an important place in the military and cultural history of the United States, as well as in the personal history of the thousands of Navy, Marine, and Air Force personnel who served on board. The ship served the country with distinction in the Vietnam (earning 13 battle stars) and Gulf (flying more combat missions than any other carrier) Wars, as well as in humanitarian missions. Noted entertainers, including Bob Hope, Raquel Welch, Les Brown, Suzanne Somers, Gladys Knight & The Pips and Marie Osmond entertained on the flight deck. Noted visitors to Ranger include astronaut Neil Armstrong, then-VP George H.W. Bush, and Queen Elizabeth II. The ship appeared in both “Top Gun” and “Star Trek IV.” And, this cause is a personal one for my family: One of the shipmates aboard in Vietnam was my father, and I also "served" on board for three days as a baby.

In October 2013, the Navy announced that it was essentially giving away the USS Forrestal, a similar carrier, for scrap. On 18 February 2014, Forrestal arrived at the scrapyard in Texas - making Ranger's situation that much more critical. On 5 May, we got the sad news that USS Saratoga, anohther of Ranger's sister ships, is also headed for scrap, and was also given away. On 13 June NAVSEA awarded a contract for the scrapping of a Bremerton-based carrier - USS Consetllation - this time at a $3M cost to US taxpayers. In fact, all four Forrestal-class carriers are currently designated "Stricken - to be disposed of." Please don't let this happen to the Ranger! Tell the Navy that you care about this important piece of our history and want it to reconsider plans to turn the ship into a museum so that future generations can learn about its history firsthand.

I started this petition because I truly believe that by working together we can make a difference, and that we simply cannot abandon this ship without at least putting up a good fight and making our voices heard.

Please sign and join us! Join us on Twitter @SaveUSSRanger and speak up on social media using #SaveTheRanger #CVA61 #CV61 #SaveTopGun